Our Brother's Hate: The Neo Rivalry Fic
by CyberDracomon
Summary: Story 2 of 3 of the Neo Trilogy 2! This time it's an old fashion 01 rivalry fic. Tai and Matt have been at each other's throats for a long time now, but now TK and Kari are about to feel the impact of it. This could have been a drama, too, so this won't b


Our Brother's Hate: The Neo Rivalry Fic  
Story 2 of 3 of the Neo Trilogy 2 series  
By CyberDracomon (King of Takari)  
  
(Author's Note: Just when you thought the cliche fics were becoming horribly overdone and overcopied, the Neo Trilogy is back! Last time around, I redid the overused prom, hospital and diary fics and with such a response, how could I not do another trilogy? I've looked around FF.N and decided this time I'll be redoing the birthday, the rivalry and the triangle fic and this trilogy continues with the rivalry fic. This is an older cliche where Tai and Matt are still at each other's throats and TK and Kari are the ones that have to suffer because of it. (In case this situation sounds familiar, all rivalry fics sound like Romeo and Juliet, that's an unavoidable cliche) Of course this is a Neo so things aren't going to happen the way a rivalry fic usually does, not at all. It's Takari, since that's all I write and all that a rivalry fic can be, and they'll be 15 in this one. With all that said, please read, review, and most importantly enjoy! ^_^)  
  
(Dedication: This Trilogy is dedicated to Lace123. Yes, you read right, not the fic, the entire Trilogy. Why the whole Trilogy? Believe me, she deserves it. ^_^)  
  
TK stared into Kari's eyes, with Kari staring right back, both with slight smiled across their faces. The two were known for getting lost in each other like that for hours at a time. They sat across from each other at their favorite table at a local cafe, with TK's hand gently resting on top of Kari's. Most of their school knew them as an inseparable pair, most except for their brothers, that is. To this day their brothers had maintained their rivalry from the Digiworld and it seemed to develop into near-hatred over the last few months. They had been keeping their romance away from their brothers at all costs, knowing what would happen. Kari blinked hard, breaking the trance between the two.  
  
"TK, you know I love doing this..." Kari said, a bit of regret in her voice. "...but don't you need to get going soon?" TK looked at his watch quickly, seeing she was right. His mom was out of town for the week and he was staying with his father until she came back.  
  
"Yeah, my dad and brother are expecting me anytime now..." TK said. They had gone on this date since it might be their last in a while. Kari's parents and TK's mom knew about their dating so it wasn't a problem keeping it from Tai and Matt, but TK's dad didn't know a thing about it and knew he'd slip it to Matt.  
  
"I'm really going to miss you..." Kari said, gripping his hand tighter. "Try to at least sneak a phone call to me though, okay?" TK smiled at her, standing up from the table. Kari stood with him, still holding his hand.  
  
"Don't worry, I promise I'll at least do that." TK said. He pulled a bit of money from his pocket and laid it on the table, paying for their lunch before walking outside with Kari. "Who knows, maybe we'll get a chance to do this again before the week's over." Kari smiled at the thought, hoping this wouldn't be their last meeting for a week.  
  
"TK, why does your mom go out of town so often?" Kari asked, curious. "She goes out of town like this about every other week." It was true, TK's mom seemed to go out of town constantly and every time TK had to stay with his dad and brother, preventing him from seeing Kari. Usually they were only a day or two, though, never a week before.  
  
"It's part of her job, I guess..." TK replied. "She writes articles for a big magazine in Tokyo, she goes there for meetings, updates, that kind of thing." TK didn't see why she had to go to Tokyo so often, though, it could have been done over the Internet easily. Kari took another look at her watch and sighed sadly.  
  
"Your dad's going to start worrying if you don't get to his apartment soon." Kari said. TK knew she was right, even when he wasn't with his dad and brother they were limiting their time together. Regretfully he started walking toward his father's apartment, with Kari still holding his hand and walking with him.  
  
The two walked in silence most of the time, both unsure of what to say or just unwilling to say goodbye. Neither was sure if they preferred not to say a word or not, silence brought calm and nervousness at the same time. All they wanted was for time to slow down, give them as many precious seconds as they could get before they had to part. TK's eyes were locked forward, waiting to see his dad's apartment building in the distance. Instead, he saw a figure heading their way, barely able to make him out. TK suddenly froze, recognizing the figure. He regretfully released Kari's hand quickly.  
  
"That's Matt..." TK said, confirming what Kari was thinking. She looked ahead and saw that it was Matt, sending a chill through her spine. He and Tai knew that TK and Kari were friends, but only that much, and they didn't even like that. That's why they constantly dreaded them discovering their full relationship, it was obvious how they would react. Before the two knew it, Matt was only about ten feet from them, a slightly annoyed look on his face.  
  
"Hey bro." Matt said, looking at his brother. He looked at Kari, glaring at her, then returned his eyes to TK, refusing to greet her. "We were getting worried you wouldn't show up, what took so long?" TK wasn't totally sure how to respond, he couldn't say he was on a date with his rival's sister.  
  
"Just... some last minute things I had to get in." TK said. It wasn't a lie, exactly, that's what he was doing, just without the dooming details. "Sorry for worrying you, though." Matt smiled a bit, probably forgetting Kari was right there.  
  
"Well come on." Matt said, starting to turn around. "Dad's watching the stove right now, I've gotta get back before dinner becomes nuclear waste." With that Matt walked back from where he came from, with TK following behind him. He looked back, looking at Kari's sad eyes as he walked away. He wanted to go back, he wanted to be with her... but he also knew he couldn't, not for the next week, at least. It didn't sound like long, but even on his mom's day long trips, TK couldn't stand not seeing Kari. All he could do now was pray the week would be easy on him.  
  
**********  
  
Kari sat on her bed in her room, her hand laying next to a cordless phone, impatiently waiting for it to ring. It had only been a day since TK's stay at his dad and brother's apartment and she already missed him like crazy. She had always wondered how far her love for TK went. In a way, this was the best and most harsh way of learning. Kari felt a sense of security discovering she truly loved TK, but it also just brought more pain knowing she couldn't see him. Her thoughts were broken from a beeping ring from the cordless phone near her. Kari picked it up quickly and hit the phone button, placing the phone to her ear.  
  
"...Hello?" She asked hesitantly. She wanted to ask if it was TK on the other end, but it was probably just her mom or dad calling from work.  
  
"Hello, Kari?" A make voice said. Kari smiled wide, recognizing TK's voice on the other end immediately.  
  
"TK! I'm glad it's you..." Kari said. Just then she heard someone shuffling around in the front room. "TK, keep quiet, I think someone's picking up the other phone." Kari listened into the receiver, then heard a slight click as the other phone was picked up.  
  
"Hello?" A muffled male voice said. The three lines make it a little fuzzy but Kari knew her brother's voice easily.  
  
"It's just TK, Tai, I've got it." Kari said into the cordless phone. She heard a slight grunt from the phone and the living room as the other phone was replaced, leaving TK and Kari's line free.  
  
"Sounds like Tai's doing about as well as Matt..." TK said, sounding depressed. Kari didn't know how Matt acted, but if it was the same at Tai it wasn't good.  
  
"They'll learn someday." Kari said, not sure if she was trying to boost TK's spirits or her own. "So what's up?" Kari crossed her fingers, hoping for the best.  
  
"Well, I think I can get out of the apartment tomorrow night." TK said. Kari had to struggle to contain a joyful yell. "Think you can meet me at the cafe around 8?" The cafe had always been their getaway from their brother's rivalry, the only place they felt away from it.  
  
"Of course!" Kari said, unable to hold in the excitement. She heard a faint laugh from TK on the other end.  
  
"I'll meet you there." He replied. "My dad's starting to listen in, I'd better go." Kari already felt her loneliness creeping back into her. She was glad it would go away tomorrow night, though.  
  
"Alright..." She sighed. "I'll see you tomorrow." Kari wished they didn't have to be so secretive about their relationship. Having to constantly sneak around and worry about their brothers at every turn was a constant nightmare.  
  
"Goodnight..." TK said sadly. "And Kari... I love you." Kari lit up every time she heard him say those words, it seemed to be the best thing to kill the constant worrying.  
  
"I love you, too." She replied. "Goodnight." Kari heard a click on the other end, then turned her own phone off, setting it back down beside her. She wasn't even sure what she would do when she got there, it wasn't often she and TK didn't see each other for over a day. Kari's thoughts were interrupted when her door opened a bit and her brother's head appeared from behind it.  
  
"What did TK want?" Tai said, a flat tone to his voice. Kari always feared Tai was suspicious of her and TK, but so far he hadn't said anything. He always seemed to ask questions like this that could trip her up and let something slip, but luckily she was smarter than her brother.  
  
"Nothing, just wanted to know about the cafe a few blocks from here." She replied. It wasn't a lie, either, just missing details. Tai looked a little irritated to say the least, leaving without a word further. Kari leaned back in her bed, knowing Tai was getting more suspicious by the day. She only hoped he wouldn't learn everything, knowing the result would force her from TK.  
  
**********  
  
TK took a seat at the same table he and Kari always met at, eagerly awaiting her arrival. He told his dad he had to go by Izzy's house to catch up on things. It wasn't really a lie, Izzy's place was between the cafe and his dad's apartment and he was going to catch up with things with Kari. Luckily he kept that in mind in case ever such a situation came up.  
TK glanced at his watch, starting to worry if she'd get there.  
  
"TK!" He heard from the distance. TK looked up, standing from his seat, and saw Kari walking quickly toward him, a happy look on her face. TK couldn't help but return it. He walked away from the table and walked toward Kari, putting his arms around her waist as soon as he could. Kari wrapped her arms around his neck just as fast, pulling him as close to her as she could, somehow afraid he wouldn't be there the next second.  
  
"Kari, I'm glad you made it." TK said, trying to hold on to Kari as much as she was holding him. "I was afraid your brother might have stopped you..." Kari shook her head a bit, still embracing TK.  
  
"TK, nothing could have kept me away from this..." Kari said, resting her head against TK's shoulder. TK let one of his hands roam up to the back of her head, stroking her short hair.  
  
"Kari, I'm getting worried about Matt, he's starting to suspect..." TK said, obviously a little scared. "I don't know how much longer we'll be able to keep this from them..." Kari knew it would come to this eventually, with both brother's getting wise it was becoming twice as dangerous.  
  
"Try not to think about it..." Kari said, trying to reassure them both. "Right now, it's just you and me, no warring brothers to panic about." TK smiled to himself, still cradling Kari in his arms.  
  
"You know, we may be worried about nothing..." TK said. "For all we know Tai and Matt might not care about it." Kari shook her head slowly, doubting the though.  
  
"TK, they already don't like it that we're friends." She said. "If they found out we were more, there's no telling what they'd do... I may not be able to see you for a long time..." TK let go of Kari a little bit, letting him look into her crimson eyes, the same that he always lost himself in, but that was hardly possible with the worried glow in her eyes.  
  
"Then let's just enjoy the time we know we have..." TK said. "...right now." With that TK leaned forward, brushing his lips against Kari's. Kari was caught off guard by it, but quickly returned it, kissing TK back. Both teens shut their eyes, no longer concerned about what was around them. All that mattered was this moment.  
  
"Kari! What do you think you're doing?!?!" Someone shouted behind Kari. TK and Kari quickly broke apart, looking behind them. Standing not even ten feet away was Tai, his fists balled up and teeth clenched together, glaring viciously at the two. TK and Kari stood there, both in shock and horror.  
  
"I knew it!" Someone else yelled. Again TK and Kari turned, this time to see Matt on the other side of them, the same furious features on him. "What do you think you're doing, TK?!" Both had obviously seen the kiss, both were ready to explode. This had to be TK and Kari's worst nightmare. Kari turned to face her brother, keeping her back to TK and his brother.  
  
"Tai, what are you doing here??" Kari managed to say. Tai took a few menacing steps forward, then reached behind him and pulled out a small yellow purse, Kari's purse.  
  
"You said you were going to the cafe for dinner, but you didn't take this." Tai said, tossing the purse to Kari. She caught it in her hands, not even looking at it. "I came to give it to you, but I think I would have been better off staying at home." Kari glanced down at her purse, realizing her mistake. She was smart, but missed the occasional detail a lot.  
  
"As for you, TK..." Matt said, a vicious tone in his voice. "I saw Izzy online. I asked him what you and TK were doing, and since he didn't know what I was talking about, I came after you." Now TK was under the gun. Matt rarely went online unless it was for school or his band, TK didn't think of him finding out like that.  
  
"Come on, Kari, we're going home, now!" Tai said, obviously getting angrier. Until now Kari had only been afraid of her brother finding out, now that he knew she was scared of him for the first time in her life  
  
"You, too, TK." Matt said, grabbing onto his brother's arm. "You can do a lot better than his sister, anyway." TK couldn't believe what was happening, it had to be a nightmare... It was real, though, it had finally happened. Both TK and Kari wanted to stay, but they couldn't go against their brothers, no matter how much they wanted to. Matt started tugging on TK's arm, pulling him away from Kari. Tai walked over and took his sister's hand, leading her back to their apartment. TK and Kari looked back at each other as they were pulled away, only to receive sharp tugs from their brothers. Unfortunately both knew it might have been their last looks for a long time.  
  
**********  
  
Tai opened the door to the Kamiya apartment, pulling Kari behind him and slamming the door behind them once they were in. Kari suddenly saw her house as more of a prison than a home right now. Knowing her brother, she wouldn't be able to see TK until he moved away permanently and Tai had no intentions of that anytime soon.  
  
"I can't believe this, my own sister's against me now!" Tai said, still furious. "What do you think you were doing kissing him, of all people?!" Kari had never seen Tai so angry, it was frightening her badly.  
  
"Tai, you don't understand!" Kari said desperately. "I'm not against you and I kissed TK because I..." Kari was cut off by a sharp glare from her brother.  
  
"Let me guess, love?" Tai said viciously. "You can do a lot better than him, he doesn't deserve you!" Kari knew her brother was wrong, if anything she didn't deserve TK, but she was too afraid of Tai right now to argue against him.  
  
"Tai, why does it matter that I love TK or not?" Kari said. "He's not his brother, you don't have any reason to hate him." Tai groaned at the comment, making Kari take a step back.  
  
"Being Matt's brother is plenty of reason to hate him!" Tai said. Kari couldn't believe her brother would be capable of such behavior. Ever since their last adventure in the Digital World it had been building up slowly, first with normal competition, then trying to beat each other constantly, but this came all at once with no warning.  
  
"It's not doing anything to you, though, why are you so against it!" Kari said with tears welling up in her eyes.  
  
"Kari, I'm your brother, I'm doing this for your own good!" Tai said loudly, not seeming to care about his sister's tears. "Nothing about Matt or anything related to him is any good for us!" Tai glanced at a clock on the wall, checking the time. "It's getting late, get to bed. I don't want to hear anything about this tomorrow, either." With that Tai walked off toward his room. Kari stood there, wiping tears from her eyes, then walked off herself to her room, shutting the door behind her. She walked to her bed and laid down, still in disbelief. It was over, she couldn't see TK anymore, and Tai seemed to act more like an enemy than a brother. Kari rolled over onto her belly, burying her head into a pillow, and let herself cry fiercely into it, letting it drown out her cries and soak up her tears.  
  
**********  
  
TK sat in his temporary room at his father's apartment, spinning a basketball on his finger. He was trying to rally some kind of happiness out of this situation with no luck. It had only been yesterday when he and Kari were forced apart by their brothers and he was still more depressed than he had ever been in his life. It was a strange feeling, like something more than his girlfriend had been ripped from him, it was something... deeper. He couldn't explain it.  
  
"I can't stand this, I've gotta see her..." TK said to himself. Problem was he had no idea how to do it, he could sneak out but unless she did, too, they wouldn't be able to meet up. He didn't have any way of contacting her, either, since his brother made sure the computer couldn't go online and he couldn't call in case Tai was home, which he was sure he was. The gates to the Digiworld were closed, too, so he couldn't meet her there, or even have Patamon fly a message to her. The D-Terminals couldn't trade e-mails without the gates, either.  
  
"If I can't e-mail her and I can't call her..." TK said to himself. The apartment was empty since his dad had to leave for the store and Matt was at his band's rehearsal so there was no need to stay silent. "Maybe I can have someone else call..." TK was sure any of the other Digidestined would be glad to, except for Davis, but Joe had moved and Sora and Mimi were too close to Tai and Matt, he was sure they'd let it slip. Yolei couldn't really keep a secret, Ken might slip it to Davis, Cody was probably at kendo practice, and Izzy was probably on his computer testing some new program. Then again Izzy was his best bet... TK stood from his bed and left his room, making his way to the phone in the kitchen. Matt wasn't due home for about an hour so at least he had plenty of time. He picked up the phone and quickly dialed Izzy's number before putting his ear to the receiver. TK noticed a box next to the phone display Izzy's number and record it, but TK could easily make an excuse for calling Izzy.  
  
"Hello, Izumi residence." A male voice said. TK knew it was Izzy, his voice was unmistakable.  
  
"Hi Izzy, it's TK." He said into the phone. "I've got a quick favor to ask you." TK wished he hadn't been so blunt, but he didn't know how else to approach this.  
"Oh, hi TK." Izzy replied. "Can the favor wait for a wile, I've got something on my new program running." Somehow TK knew he'd say something like that. He could even hear Izzy's loud typing on the other end.  
  
"Actually I don't think it can, it's really important." TK said. "You see... Tai and Matt caught me and Kari yesterday..." The clicks from Izzy's keyboard suddenly became silent.  
  
"I see..." Izzy said, obviously surprised. "So what's the favor?" Izzy knew about TK and Kari's relationship, he even bailed them out a couple of times, and he knew what the two would resort to if this ever happened.  
  
"I just need you to call Kari for me and have her meet me at the cafe tonight." TK said. "Matt set the phone to record all the numbers called so I can't do it myself. If Tai picks up don't tell him it was my idea to call, just make an excuse to get Kari on the line." He knew Izzy would have already done that, but he didn't want to chance a thing here.  
  
"No problem." Izzy replied. "You really love her, don't you?" TK was kind of caught off guard by the question, Izzy wasn't the kind to ask about romance things like that.  
  
"Yeah... I do." TK said. He probably only realized how true that was in the last couple of days. He couldn't even stand this long without seeing or hearing her and it hadn't even been a day... If he didn't get out and see her now it might be years before it happened again. "Thanks Izzy, I owe you one." TK heard a laugh on the other end.  
  
"After how many times I've covered for you, you owe me one hundred." Izzy said. "I'll save them up until I can get a new computer out of them though." TK laughed a bit at the comment, but also feared he was serious. "I've gotta get back to my program, I'll call Kari right away though. Bye." TK smiled to himself.  
  
"Bye Izzy." TK heard a click on the other end, then hung up his phone, walking back to his room. He wanted to leave now and avoid his brother catching him, but his brother would get far too suspicious and go after him, so he had to wait until dark.  
  
**********  
  
Kari's heart raced a bit, watching the full moon glow brightly in the sky. She had gotten a call from Izzy saying TK wanted to meet at the cafe tonight, but that would mean sneaking out and going against her brother, something she had never dared do. Then again it would mean the same for TK and his brother. She really missed TK, she didn't feel complete without seeing him. Last night she cried into that pillow until it was too soaked to sleep on, eventually crying herself to sleep on a different pillow. Even in the morning she wanted to keep crying... Kari had to see TK, against her brother or not...   
  
She walked back into the apartment from the balcony, checking for everyone. Her parents were out running errands, but Tai was home, but nowhere in sight. Kari made her way through the apartment to Tai's door, putting her ear to it. She could hear Tai's radio up loud, it probably made his room sound proof. Perfect chance. Kari made her way back to the main room of the apartment and to the front door. The door was always a little squeaky and the deadbolt was on, so there was no chance of a silent escape. She had to do this, though, and Tai's music would hide the noise anyway. Kari slowly turned the deadbolt lock until it made a loud click, meaning it was unlocked. She took a quick glance over her shoulder to make sure Tai didn't hear, then turned the door handle slowly. Kari pulled the door open as little as she could, hearing its usual dry squeak from its hinges. She put a leg through the door, seeing if it was open wide enough, then tried squeezing the rest of herself through without opening it more.  
  
"And where do you think you're going?!" She heard suddenly. Kari pulled herself back in and looked behind her, seeing Tai standing right there, the same look on his face from the night before.  
  
"Tai!" Kari said in shock. "I thought you were in your room, the stereo's on loud in there," Kari felt the same fear of her brother creep back into her gut, telling her how much trouble she was in.  
  
"Ever hear of a decoy?" Tai said. "I knew you'd do this so I hid in the kitchen while my stereo was on. You're going out to see TK, aren't you??" Kari couldn't lie to her brother any more than she could stand up to him.  
  
"Yeah..." Kari said shamefully. "Yon don't have any right to keep me from doing it, either, I'm your sister, not your slave." Kari almost didn't believe she said that, and apparently Tai didn't either.  
  
"Being your brother gives me every right!" Tai said, almost shouting. "I told you, this is for your own good!" Kari couldn't keep this up, she wanted to stand up to Tai, but choosing between two different loves is torture for anyone.  
  
"Well right now he's more worried about me than you are!" Kari said suddenly. "The only reason you're doing this is because he's Matt's brother, you wouldn't be doing this is it was anyone else!" Tai took a step back in surprise, then glared back at his sister.  
  
"I'm your brother, don't you dare talk to me like that!" Tai yelled. Kari didn't even recognize this person anymore, he wasn't acting anything like the Tai she knew and loved.  
  
"Sorry, Tai, I'm going..." Kari said, no longer afraid. "You don't have any right to stop me, either." Tai groaned at the comment, hitting his limit of anger.  
  
"I can't believe you're doing this!" Tai shouted. "You walk out that door and I'll never forgive you, Kari, it's either him or me!" Kari didn't think he'd take it this far, now she was under the gun more than ever. She couldn't choose between the two but she had to now... Tai would always be her brother no matter what he thought of her, but this might be her last time with TK...  
  
"...I'm sorry, Tai..." Kari finally said. Without another sound she opened the door and walked out, shutting it behind her. Tai stood there, too stunned to follow after her. He couldn't believe what just happened. He just treated his sister worse than he treated Matt and TK and now she had chosen TK instead of him, her own brother... Tai stood there in front of the door, wondering why she had done that...  
  
"...Could she possibly love TK that much..." Tai said silently to himself. Confused, Tai walked away from the door and to the balcony, hoping the night air could clear his mind a bit.  
  
**********  
  
TK looked at the clock on the wall, checking the time. It was a little past eight and Matt still hadn't returned from his rehearsal. He might be due back any second, and that thought kept TK in the apartment out of fear he would return just at the wrong moment. He shook his head, trying to straighten his thoughts out. It was that kind of thinking that made him delay so long he missed his chance. He had to try now before Matt got home, it might be his only chance.  
  
TK walked through the apartment and to the front door. Slowly he opened it, sticking his head out and looking in both directions for any sign of his brother. TK sighed in relief, seeing nothing but the empty open hallway. TK left the apartment, closing the door behind him, and walked toward the steps that lead to the ground floor. He turned his head, looking at the scene on the open side of the hallway, looking at the full moon and lighted city below. He wondered if Kari had made it out of her house with such ease...  
  
"Going somewhere?" Someone said in front of him. TK looked ahead of him, only to see Matt standing right in his path, an angry look on his face. "You're trying to go see Kari, I know you are!" TK's brother had a way of knowing what he was up to most of the time, in most cases it helped, now it was going to be the end of him.  
  
"Matt, you can't understand what she means to me!" TK said, determined to get by. He was afraid of his brother's temper and what it might result to, but right now he didn't care, he had to get to Kari.  
  
"She's no good for you, you can do better than her!" Matt said, glaring at his brother viciously. TK felt himself getting angry, even if it was his own brother he hated people talking bad about Kari.  
  
"I don't want someone better, I want her!" TK yelled. Matt didn't seem to be losing any ground, it was almost like he expected this to happen.  
  
"Well I'll make sure you don't have her!" Matt yelled back. "This is for your own good, why can't you see that?!" TK didn't know what he was talking about now, he didn't see anything good from this.  
  
"I can't see anything good about something that hurts me so much!" TK said, angered even more. "You're the blind one here, keeping me from her just because she's Tai's sister." Matt looked surprised from that comment, but quickly regained his tempered look.  
  
"That's it, we're going home, now!" Matt yelled, walking toward TK and grabbing one of his arms. Out of instinct TK jerked it away from him just as he did, freeing himself. Matt became frustrated and reached with both hands, trying to grab TK completely. Without even thinking about it, TK balled up a fist and swung it at Matt, knocking his brother to the stone floor hard and shocking both of them. Matt stayed down, his jaw stinging badly from the blow, staring up at TK, not believing it. TK looked the same, but quickly shook it off, looking sternly at Matt.  
  
"You can't understand..." TK said simply. He stepped around his brother and ran for the stairs without looking back, heading down to the bottom floor. Matt stood slowly, rubbing his sore jaw, still in disbelief. TK never even pushed him before, let alone punched him to the ground. He didn't even know TK had that kind of punch... It made him wonder how much he really knew about his brother... Matt turned and walked to his apartment, trying to figure things out.  
  
**********  
  
Kari ran down an empty sidewalk toward the cafe, praying to herself TK made it out of his father's apartment. She still couldn't believe what Tai said or what she had done, but all she wanted to do was see TK, she'd deal with Tai afterwards. Kari made it to the cafe, slightly out of breath, but TK wasn't there. She refused to believe he got caught, he had to have made it out... At least she hoped he did...  
  
"Kari!" Someone yelled in the distance. Kari looked up and saw TK running down the sidewalk in front of her. Kari ran his way, too happy to stand still and wait for him. The two met halfway, embracing each other like they'd be gone in the next second.  
  
"TK! I thought I'd never get to see you again." Kari said. She felt a few tears of joy well up in her eyes, the only tears that were welcomed after last night.  
  
"Don't worry, I'll never leave you..." TK said, trying his best to hold onto Kari as tight as he could without hurting her. "Matt tried to stop me... I actually punched him out of my way..." Kari was a bit surprised, but somehow not as much as she normally would be.  
  
"I know how you feel, Tai made me choose between you and him..." Kari admitted. TK didn't know how to respond. "He'll always be my brother, though, if I chose him there's no telling how long we'd be apart." Something in TK knew he would have made the same choice if Matt had given him the chance, he couldn't blame Kari.  
  
"Kari, that one day without you was a nightmare..." TK said. "I love you so much, I don't want to be away from you for a second... Kari will you... I mean, will..." Kari put her hand up to Tk's mouth, stopping him short.  
  
"TK, don't..." She said. "You know we're both too young for that..." TK's head drooped a bit from the comment. "But... when we are ready, I'll be glad to accept..." TK looked up into Kari's crimson eyes, noticing her worried glow had faded, once again her eyes drew him in easily. TK leaned forward and pressed his lips to Kari's before he could be too drawn in be her eyes, which quickly closed when she kissed him back, putting as much passion and fire into it as she could, somehow trying to make up for everything that had happened in the last few days.  
  
**********  
  
"Man, I'm going to hate myself so much if I can't find him..." Matt said, walking down the sidewalk, looking in every direction. His jaw still stung a bit from TK's punch, but he was hardly worried about it right now. He was still angry, but only at himself now for putting TK through all of that. He was right after all, he only kept TK from Kari because she was Tai's sister, not because it was better for him. Matt's thoughts continued to haunt him as he turned a corner, but they were broken when he saw Tai right in front of him.  
  
"Man, not you now..." Tai said bitterly. "I don't have time for you, my sister ran off earlier..." Matt was about to get angry at Tai like usual until he heard the past about his sister.  
  
"Wait, Kari ran off, too?" Matt asked. "TK ran off, too, I've been looking everywhere..." Tai seemed to cool down a bit hearing that.  
  
"They probably tried to sneak out to meet each other somewhere..." Tai said, no longer worried about Matt. "...and it's our fault they resorted to that, isn't it?" Matt nodded in response, both of them knowing that now.  
  
"We were too worried about our war to see their love, now this happened..." Matt said. "Where would they have gone to meet each other?" Tai looked around as if some clue was going to come out of nowhere. He turned around quickly, then looked back at Matt.  
  
"What about the cafe we caught them at yesterday?" Tai said. "If any place, they'd meet there, right?" Matt had to admit he was right, besides there was no other place they knew of. Tai and Matt ran off down the sidewalk toward the cafe, both hoping they were right. After a minute or two of running they made it to the cafe, but with no sign of TK and Kari.  
  
"Great, now what?" Matt asked. He looked over at Tai, who was looking at something with a lot of interest. Matt looked for what he saw, seeing a bench nearby that held Tk and Kari's sleeping forms, both leaning against each other for support.  
  
"Guess they do love each other that much..." Tai said, still looking at the two. Matt nodded in agreement, looking as well.  
  
"We should have been more worried about what we were doing to them..." Matt said. He walked over to the two and gently picked up TK, holding his still sleeping body in both arms. Tai did the same for Kari, who was also too asleep to wake up from the sudden move.  
  
"How about this..." Tai said. "From now on, let's keep them out of our personal lives, they shouldn't have to worry about us breaking them apart..." Matt nodded, looking down at TK.  
  
"Right, from now on, let's stay out of their relations." Matt said. He turned around to walk home with TK doing the same. Matt turned his head back toward Tai. "And Tai..." Tai turned his head to look at Matt. "Don't think for a second this is over between us..." Tai smirked and glared at Matt.  
  
"Not hardly..." Tai said sharply. With that the two turned again, returning to their respected homes. Their was was far from over, but from now on, at least TK and Kari wouldn't be hit by the crossfires of it.  
  
The End  
  
Okay, sorry this took so long! Everything hit all at once, I couldn't get it done at all... But I hope it was worth the wait ^_^ I wanted to write this rivalry fic in a way that TK and Kari didn't just sneak out to meet, but actually showed how determined they were to do so. I also wanted to go against a second cliche, continuing Tai and Matt's feud past the end, unlike most others where they call a truce.  
  
So what's next for CyberDracomon? My sixth Neo, the Triangle fic! This one's going to be very different from the normal Takari triangles, so it'll be worth reading! Until then! ^_^  



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